Paswan praises Centre for lowering price of life saving drugs

Jehanabad, July 15 (UNI) Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief and steel, chemicals and fertilizers minister Ram Vilas Paswan has welcomed the union finance minister's decision to reduce the prices of life saving drugs.

Addressing the concluding programme of a health camp, organised under the banner of SAIL here yesterday, Mr Paswan said it was a step in the right direction by the Centre to waive customs duty from several life-saving drugs which in turn had reduced the retail prices of medicines by at least five per cent besides providing relief to the commoners.

'' Now even the poor can afford to arrange proper medical treatment for patients suffering from killer deseases like hepatitis-B, diabetes, thyroid imbalance, cancer and severe cases of asthma,'' Mr Paswan observed.

Moreover, he said, the Centre's decision in favour of complete removal of excise duty from anti-Aids drug, called 'Atazanvir' and that of some life saving vaccines would go a long way in making them available much cheaper in comparison to their previous prices.

The steel minister also hailed the consideration of the union finance minister in this direction.